An Afghan interpreter denied relocation after 16 years of service with British forces has claimed he was assured by his commanding officer that he would be eligible to come to the UK.
The man, known by the codename Ricky, is the longest-serving interpreter to have worked with British forces in Afghanistan and applied for relocation after being made redundant in October last year. He had plans to live near his wife’s relatives in Birmingham.
Ministry of Defence policy states, however, that only interpreters who have served on the front line in Helmand province will be considered for relocation. Ricky, 34, served in Kabul and told officials that his family lived in fear of reprisals. He was offered 18 months’ salary or an education package by the MoD, which said that it offered support to former staff who felt threatened.
The refusal of his application led to calls from MPs and peers for a review of the policy, but Ricky has told The Times that he was assured he would be eligible for relocation under the original terms. When the MoD published the policy in June 2013, the commanding officer of the Kabul Joint Support Unit brought a copy to brief interpreters at Camp Souter, Ricky said. It is understood that the officer is no longer serving.
“He brought us the document at that time, and it only mentioned Helmand province, nothing about Kabul,” Ricky recalled. “We asked: ‘What about the interpreters who served in Kabul?’ He said there are only a small number of interpreters in Kabul and those who have patrolled outside the wire would be eligible for relocation. [He said:] ‘You are the ones who are always patrolling outside the wire, so you are eligible.’”
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Ricky said that he worked under this assumption for another four years, planning to move with his family to Birmingham but was told after his redundancy that he was not eligible.
Lord Campbell of Pittenweem, the Lib Dem defence spokesman, said: “The British government may want to distinguish between Helmand and Kabul for the purpose of accepting people into the UK, but you can be pretty sure the Taliban won’t draw any distinction when it comes to threatening or taking the lives of those who have generously and at personal risk served the UK.”
One senior officer said that Ricky had “risked his life on numerous occasions”.
Ricky, who has five children, said he planned to hire a solicitor in the UK to help him fight his case. A spokesman for the MoD said it did not comment on individual cases, but added: “Our policy announced in June 2013 clearly outlines the eligibility criteria for relocation.”